Fascinating pop-up books

Press, 3 December 1982, Page 8 (Supplement)

Fascinating pop-up books

Pop-up books are capturing the fascination of. children and adults alike. These marvels of paper engineering have only, recently been resurrected to., delight the readers.; Victorian children had similar books and > some of these have now been reproduced. > “The City Park” is a standup book and is designed so that the child, can move the “park” and watch the scene change. The book was first designed, by Lothar Meggendorfer and costs $9.95. Apother reproduction is "Revolving Pictures” by Ernest! Nister ($7.95). This was originally published in IB9i> and‘ moving the ribbon tab '* changes the picture. The latest in the line of pop-up books is “Fungus the Bogeyman,” written by Raymond Briggs and costing $15.95. In true Briggs style,

he has referred to it as a plop-up book. Jr . The hero. Fungus, battles amidst slime and muck to beat the DCs .(drycleaners, or surfaced welling humans). The construction requirements of. -the.; pop-up characters are so technical that a paper engineer is used ip, the design .of these books. The prime selling ingredient of a book is the presentation and. this, is'a field in which publishers are continually up-dating. ’ In another innovative packaging scheme, MethuenWalker, Publishers have brought out the traditional fairy stories such as “Little Red Riding Hood” as fold-out books within a paper house. There are also the Dover paperbacks which include decorating for dolls’ houses. The floor coverings, wallpaper and stained-glass transfer patterns are all to

scale and ready to use. Crocheting, knitting, macrame and miniature needlepoint are all catered for in the series. For teenage readers, Puffin has introduced a range of paperbacks which deal with many of the problems facing teenagers. These all carry the Puffin Plus label. Puffin has also released a part story, -part game, book for teenagers and adults. “The Warlock of Firetop Mountain,” gives the reader the choice of adventures in a game similar to that of Dungeons and Dragons. Treasure is hidden deep within a dungeon- and the reader must fight off monsters to reach the prize. Written by Steve Jackson and lan Livingstone, the paperback costs $3.95. These books are available at The Children’s Bookshop at 210 Colombo Street.